Man walks on frozen Rock River through Rockford

ROCKFORD - An unknown man walking Sunday on the frozen Rock River did not comply with Rockford Police Department officer requests to head toward shore and was last seen headed north.

Police implored the man who was first spotted walking on the river in the area of the Jefferson Street Bridge. He walked north down the middle of the river, held the underside of the Auburn Street Bridge in an apparent effort to avoid thin ice and continued on his journey.

The man shouted at police at one point south of Auburn Street that he would not exit the river with police present. A lot of what he said could not be understood through wind and traffic noise.

Police followed the man for more than an hour out of concern for his safety, but said they left when he would not comply with their requests and had other calls for service.